The Secret Tibet (The Forbidden world)

Phayul[Tuesday, May 08, 2007 19:38]

By Tenzin Choephel
Phayul Correspondent

Kathmandu: May 07: Bod-Kyi-Bang-Chen (or The Tibet Express), which recently turned into a weekly Tibetan language newspaper opened their branch publication office in Kathmandu and henceforth will be printing and distributing its issues from Kathmandu for its readers in Nepal.

Mr Serther Tsultrim, the founder and chief editor of the paper was here in Kathmandu to inaugurate the new publication branch. According to him, besides opening the Kathmandu branch, two staff were appointed who would also be sending news reports from Nepal. "There have been some procedural and technical problems with printing in Nepal but we have managed and sorted them out", said Mr Tsultim.

"With our latest initiative, we hope that this will help Tibetans in Nepal to have greater access to Tibetan news and official news of the Tibetan Government in Exile and, also offer related news from Nepal in Tibetan language" says Mr Tsultrim.

The Tibet Express started as a bi-monthly publication in April 2003. In March this year they opened a branch office in the Tibetan settlement of Mundgod in South India.

The Tibetan Express hopes that their latest move will greatly enhance its timely distribution in Nepal usually delayed by delivering through postal system.

The Tibet Express would now be the only weekly Tibetan language newspaper in Nepal besides the already existing monthly ‘Nyechen Thangla’.

The Tibet Express is one of the ventures of the Khawakarpo-Tibet Culture Centre headquartered in Dharamsala, the base for Tibetan Government-in-Exile in India. The centre recently launched its online version of its news (khawakarpo.org) and also announced the turning of their paper into a weekly publication to mark its fourth founding anniversary.

According to Khawakarpo, The Tibet Express is distributed in over 17 countries, including India, Nepal, Bhutan, USA, Switzerland, Europe, Taiwan, Japan and Singapore. When asked about possibility of turning into a daily Tibetan paper, Mr Tsultrim said that it would not be possible to go that far for a Tibetan language newspaper because of limited readers taking into consideration the situation of Tibetan Diaspora in exile.